The Real Reasons Apple Will Ship a 7-Inch iPad

Samsung is going all-out to promote the Galaxy Note as the company’s new iPhone killer.

The now-famous Superbowl ad imagines a scenario in which iPhone fans waiting in line outside Apple stores for the next phone see a guy using a Galaxy Note with a pen. They’re stunned as they realize that he can draw on maps and pictures using the phone’s stylus. So overwhelmed with the revelation that one might use a pen with a phone, than they bust out of the line and erupt in a display of unbridled enthusiasm all over the city.

Of course, pens exist for iOS devices, and anyone could buy one if they wanted. (Most people don’t.) And app makers could and do make pen interfaces and applications.

So what’s really unique about the Galaxy Note’s pen is the built-in pen holder. That’s the one feature missing from the iPhone that prevents users from doing what the hipster in the commercial is doing. OMG!! A pen holder! A PEN HOLDER!!! FINALLY!!!!

A hole in the phone where the pen goes is probably not going ignite a spontaneous Bollywood dance number when the Galaxy Note goes on sale at BestBuy February 19.

The real object of attraction for some users will be the phone’s giant screen. At 5.3 inches diagonally, the screen is one of the largest on the market. (By comparison, the iPhone’s is a 3.5-inch screen.) The device’s 800 x 1280 pixel resolution makes it seem even roomier than the diagonal measurement might suggest.

There are three classes of users who will be attracted to the big screen. The first is people who want a tablet, but one that fits in a pocket or purse and doesn’t require a second purchase. The Galaxy Note falls into a form factor called a “phablet” — both phone and tablet.

The second class is serious phone enthusiasts who download a lot of apps, games and eBooks and want the biggest screen possible.

And the third is older people who struggle with normal-sized phones and their tiny screens and type sizes.

Samsung is also targeting women. In addition to white and black versions, the Galaxy Note will also come in pink. Many women keep their phones in their purses anyway, so a phone too big for pants pocket is not an issue.

The Galaxy Note is huge, but it offers lower pixel density than the iPhone (255 pixels-per-inch compared with the iPhone’s Retina display density of 330). So the Galaxy Note sacrifices quality of display for quantity, compared with the iPhone.

Although the Ice Cream Sandwich version of Android is optimized for unusual screen sizes, the Galaxy Note will run a customized version of Gingerbread at first, with an update expected later.

Like the iPhone used to be, the Galaxy Note is available officially only on AT&T.

Why Samsung Matters

The Samsung Galaxy Note, and all Samsung phones, are especially noteworthy to Apple because Samsung is the only other company making money in the phone space.

The only real competitor to Apple in that quarter was Samsung, which made 15% of the quarter’s profits.

Together, Apple and Samsung alone took in 95% of all mobile phone profits.

From a business perspective, there are only two significant players in the mobile phone market: Apple and Samsung.

This reality mirrors the tablet market, where there are only two significant players: Apple and Amazon.

Here’s why this is interesting. Apple’s only real competition in tablets is the 7-inch Amazon Kindle Fire. Their main competition in mobile phones from a profits perspective is Samsung, whose 5.3-inch Samsung Galaxy Note appears to be their new main flagship contender.

So the one and only place to have any chance of making real money in mobile phones and tablets is in the no-mans land between the iPhone and the iPad.

Nobody is making money with tablets the same size or bigger than iPad. And soon, I predict, nobody will be making money in mobile phones that are the same size or smaller than iPhone.

There’s money being made by Apple’s competitors in the intermediate space between iPhone and iPad because there’s demand for an intermediate device size. People want a device with a bigger screen than iPhone’s got, but a smaller price tag than the iPad’s got. And because Apple offers nothing in this category, some are turning to Amazon and soon to Samsung.

And that’s why I believe Apple will ship a 7-inch device.

Call it an iPod Venti. Call it an iPad nano. Whatever.

It won’t be a phone for several reasons. One is that big phones look ridiculous to hold up to your face. Another is that Apple wants you to buy a phone, too. And yet another is that the form factor would have to be aggressively priced in order to satisfy the demand for a low-priced alternative to the Kindle Fire, and phone functionality would make it expensive to own.

The advantage to Apple is manifold. First and foremost, a single device could drop a hand grenade into the laps of Apple’s only big business competitors: Samsung and Amazon.

Secondly, the device would be seen by Apple as a key element of their education strategy unveiled last month.

One major criticism by educators in my Google+ hangout on the subject is the cost of Apple’s vision of iPads as textbooks. There aren’t very many school districts that will be willing to shell out $500 a student.

The second issue raised by the educators, which hardly anyone else seems to appreciate, is that schools can send kids home carrying expensive consumer electronics that crooks want to steal. It puts the kids at risk.

So Apple’s iPad textbook vision doesn’t scale at 500 bucks a pop.

At $200 and below, it scales. And in order for Apple to reach that price point profitably, they’ll need to drop the size as well.

All Apple has to do is drop one iOS device intermediate in size between the iPhone and iPad into the market to solve its Samsung, Amazon and education problems.

The iPhone has a 3.5 inch screen not 4.5. You may want to fix that 6 paragraphs in.

dcj001

No.

Boo Radley

I don’t have a stylus because it’s just one more thing to lose. I’m perfectly happy with my iPhone and no stylus. Has everyone forgotten that we had phones with styli and Palm Pilots? Yeah…the beauty of the iPhone. Why would I want to draw on the map?

Jordan Clay

Good article, But I have a question. The original iPhone had X amount of pixels, when they created the iPad they multiplied that by 4 (and also when they made the retina for the iPhone 4) keeping the same form factor. In order to fit this on a 7″ screen, Will they multiply it Linearly like they did before, or will we see a shift in screen size in which may usher in a 4″ iPhone 5?

Jordan Clay

I love when Steve Jobs was talking about the stylus with his keynote on the original iPhone. From that point on everybody realized that styli were crap and every product that has attempted to have one has failed

akash trivedi

samsung is still confused about the right size..

Nick_Germ

Totally, except this product is a little interesting because it does not require a stylus it is ancillary. Styli are great for some tasks, but really suck if you have to perform all tasks with it.

efforting

I already have a stylus, in fact I have 10 of them and they are tethered to my body.Once a mobile device becomes to large to fit in your pocket, it loses it’s utility.

Cindon83

I have yet to lose or misplace one of my fingers. Who wants a stylus…I mean they are so 90’s What is Samsung going to do next…our phones are better because we have an antenna…look it collapses into the phone. Give me a break!

I have a stylus that I only use for taking notes on my iPad in my math and science classes. Otherwise, a stylus sucks to use.

Samuel Shallenberger

I wish the iPhone had a 4.5 inch screen!

Mario Aguila

Mike..do you want to bet? Apple will use stylus very soon, in a smartphone or a tablet. Obviously, like Galaxy Note, as an accessory and not as the main source of relating to the device

techgeek01

Have you ever tried to write with your finger? IT SUCKS. That is one advantage that the stylus has over a finger. Far, far, far, better (and easier) to draw with or write with.

Garfinkel

I had a Kindle Fire for a few months before returning it. It had a multitude of problems — some hardware (lack of buttons), some software (sluggish, limited GUI), and some form factor. I loved it for two things: eBooks, and Dead Space (perfect for 7″). Otherwise, it was a frustrating experience.

Obviously, Apple would do it right, if they were too. But, Apple isn’t one to bring things to market because competitors have. It is always the reverse — competitors bring awkward solutions to market, like the Galaxy Note, because of Apple. Because Apple is killing it, competitors only seem to have a few choices: some outright copy, some copy and tweak, and some try things entirely different (Windows 8 is a nice attempt). The iPad has put Apple now as the #1 PC maker in the world, if you buy the semantics. What this suggests is that Apple certainly has nothing to worry about (for now) from either Samsung or Amazon. Apple knows how not to cannibalize its own market. If they did release a 7″ iPad for $200, yes, many would buy it. But, those wouldn’t be people who were necessarily going to buy a Fire. More important is that they would lose sales on people who were eventually going to buy an iPad 2 or 3.

What would make sense for Apple? Lowering the prices of the iPad 2 when launching the iPad 3. Over time, prices get cheaper. Remember when the first generation iPhone was $599 with a contract? And now you can get an 3GS for only $49. Not once did Apple offer a cheaper iPhone Nano as many had predicted. Oops, sorry analysts.

We all know Jobs said that 7″ was a poor form factor. Sadly, he is gone. And we have yet to see if or how Apple may change without him. But, I’m sticking with Apple not creating a 7″ iPad.

Adam Chaney

You are smoking crack if you think apple will release a 7 inch iPad. The UI would be totally borked. It’s too large for blow up the iPhone UI and too small to shrink the iPad UI. It makes no sense for apple to screw over it’s developers like this and it would really confuse apple’s customers.

And the one reason an apple product will never come with a stylus.

“If you have to pull out a stylus, we have already failed” – Steve Jobs.

The samsung note with be a footnote in history.

Jordan Burger

“By comparison the iPhone has a 4.5inch screen”…I think you will find it has a 3.5” screen, unless Apple’s marketing and technical specs are wrong

techgeek01

What I would love to have is a 6 to 7 inch display phone/tablet w/stylus.

If made properly, this device shouldn’t be that much larger than the Galaxy Note. AS LONG as it has super thin bezels and software buttons instead of hardware buttons on the front. Take the hardware buttons of the Galaxy Note, a 5.5 inch display should (easily) fit in this same size phone. Take the SAMSUNG logo off, move the earpiece grill and front facing cam to the edge and make the bezels super skinny all around, you could possibly stick a 6 inch display without having to make the phone any larger. It (might) need to be made just slightly wider.

If the device has the back cover integrated (meaning non removable battery) it should allow for the device to be thinner than the galaxy note, yet still have amazing battery life. (The samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 is a prime version of this. Ultra thin, 4G (I believe) and was able to get way better battery life than the iPad and that is WITHOUT having the “economy” mode on. with the “battery economy” mode on, it’s probably safe to say it could have couple of more hours thrown on. So, 15 hours on “economy” mode may not be far out of the question. It already gets over 12 hours under normal use)

The point above is, that the device should be able to be fairly “small”. IF MADE PROPERLY (that’s always the question), it should just be slightly larger than the galaxy note with a display between 6 and 7 inches.

Granted, far bigger than the iPhone, but you’ll get use to the size after a while, unless you have super small hands.

And the stylus would make it perfect to take notes, write stuff, draw, etc..

So, something like that would be perfect. :)

It comes down to, I don’t want to carry/own a (smart)phone and a tablet. I rather have one device that can do both. So SMALL enough to still be used comfortably as a phone, but BIG enough to still be used comfortably as a tablet.

‘Cause right now, (smart)phone screens are too small to do a lot of reading, watching videos, surfing the web and tablets are too big (overall size) to be comfortably carried around with you.

Len Williams

The reason I bought my car was the cup holder! Nope, Apple will never deliver an iPhone or iPad with a pen. Those few that may need one can choose from the MANY that are manufactured by other companies specifically for the iPhone and iPad. Steve and Apple are all about simplicity, and carrying a pen around, even in its own little holder is still complexity and entirely unnecessary.

As for a 7″ iPad: I don’t believe Apple will go there. They will, however, continue to manufacture and sell the iPad 2 at a substantially reduced price for at least another year or so once the iPad 3 has been released, and people will buy them like hotcakes. Look to the iPhone 3G and 4 still being sold by Apple right now, even though the flagship 4S is the latest and greatest. Heck, you can have a 3G FREE with AT&T right now!

I’m looking forward to the iPad 3 being my entry into the tablet market. While the 2 was a great device, the cameras still needed some work. I’m hoping Apple will install the cameras from the iPhone 4S in the iPad 3, which will make it a device beyond remarkable.

Mario Aguila

“Because Apple is killing it, competitors only seem to have a few choices: some outright copy, some copy and tweak, and some try things entirely different “hahaha… That is, whether to copy or not copy it, to do something the same, similar or different, all the other companies are following Apple. Please!

prof_peabody

This seems like faulty reasoning to me. Size is only one component, the other is utility.

But the fire is not so much a tablet as an eReader. It’s successful because it’s a colour eReader not because it’s a “small tablet.” It’s successful in the eReader market, not the wider tablet market.

It’s worth noting that the only other tablet device in this size (the Dell Streak) was an unmitigated failure in terms of sales. It’s also worth noting that all the perceived shortcomings and failures of the Fire are due to it’s size (can’t display magazines well, can’t do games well, can’t do the web well, etc.).

Mukul Modi

iPhone screen is 3.4 not 4.5 inches

Jdsonice

The real killer for Apple is the OS not the hardware. Samsung simply cannot beat iOS. The iPhone size is perfect – fits nicely in my jean pockets.

Garfinkel

Are you suggestion that everyone isn’t just copying Apple at this point, aside from Microsoft?

So a Galaxy Note lets you draw with a stylus on pictures and maps. Why would you wanna do that anyway.

Oh, does Samsung also include pants with big pockets in the box? And if not, will Apple finally provide those iPants we’ve all been waiting for?

A phone is a phone and a tablet is a tablet. Don’t go mixing them up. We all know the hideous consequences of crossover cars and netbooks. Neither practical, nor useful.

Thomas Overbeck

[david spade] Galaxy Note? No thanks, I liked it better the first time around… when it was called the PALM PILOT. [/david spade]

Pifman

It’s really sad to see Cult of Mac get something SO wrong.

The “Note” isn’t a success yet (nor will it ever be) because it’s not even a real thing yet. The commercial states “The next big thing is already here.” Immediately followed by “Coming Soon”. It will not sell well, nor will it force Apple to adjust its path in ANY way.

As for the Kindle Fire, it’s done well because it’s cheap as hell. They can afford to do this because it’s essentially a tablet-lite and the majority of its buyers don’t know much beyond the fact that it’s a “tablet” and that it’s cheap. That’s fine, no offense to these people, but it’s no coincidence that there are many mixed reviews and many returns.

If Apple changed their products every time a competitor had any success, they would have followed Windows model years ago. Maybe you haven’t noticed yet that Apple blazes their own path, and doesn’t make huge hypocritical choices. I’d be willing to bet anything on this topic. Mark my words.

Luis Dominguez

I do not agree with the stylus quote. I think many people are misusing it. With the note it’s not like you have to, it’s if you would like to. I think that is a big difference. I have a friend who is an artist and is excited by the note because he feels like using a stylus on a phone to draw things is incredible. Like I said, the phone does not need the stylus to function at all, it functions fine as a touch screen device.

techgeek01

I believe that it’s already for sale in multiple countries. And last I checked, it was doing pretty well, sale wise.

Cindon83

Yes I have…and it works far, far, far, far, far, better then a stylus. I use it all the time when you sign your name with apps like square, adobe ideas, note pad etc… Styluses just suck period, and a lost or misplace stylus NEVER works.

Paul Lloyd Johnson

You’re so wrong.

ctt1wbw

Why would people buy an iPad? It doesn’t come with a stylus? LOL

And actually I think a 7″ iPad would probably do well in the education and business markets. Imagine airlines putting a 7″ iPad in the cockpit instead the bigger one.

Howard_B

It will never happen. There is no need for it. Apple don’t believe in filling tiny niches. No one who really knows Apple could ever believe it will be released.

VGISoftware

This is total horse puckey. Apple has never pandered to the unwashed masses who “can’t afford” their products. An no way are they going to compromise with the ideal size for a tablet just to sell more tablets to all dose po lil chilluns!

ANYBODY can make $500 without too much effort, as long as they taper off on the partying and the junk food and the designer shoes.

Do them good get off their lazy entitled butts and do some work to EARN their iPads!

Mike Elgan

Thank you for the correction. I’ve fixed it.

Artoo

Apple can sell an iPad “education edition” for $200 to kids. It will be the same size as a regular iPad, but they will take out the cameras and put some controls to keep kids out of trouble.

They don’t need to go to the 7″ tablet. Jobs said was a bad idea from the get go. The kindle is not a real tablet. I sure hope they don’t become a reactionary company instead of a leading company by going that route.If Apple does put out a 7″ tablet I will be very disappointed.

hisshadow

What is the cure for the idiocy that continually demands that Apple fill every available tech niche? Especially when the demand is based on products that have not shown themselves to be immensely popular, or in some cases, products that aren’t even released yet. 5 years of the iPhone and none of the ridiculous predictions of the iPhone Nano ever came to pass, despite all the insistence that Apple *must* release a low end crap phone to appease. And how about the insistence that Apple *must* release a Netbook to appease the low end crap laptop demographic?

And now here we are at the next round, where Apple *must* release a crap level iPad to… I think you get picture.

CharliK

Is the Fire successful. We know millions of kindle models sold but how many were the Fire. And how many of those werent returned

hapticdata

I don’t buy it. If Apple kept it a 4:3 screen, roughly at the specs of iPad 1 but smaller, maybe, but I still really doubt it.Apple cares about a purity in form-factor and in experience and this throws a big wrench into it. Having a third set of hardware to try and support for all of their app store software developers is a big headache and they don’t want to tell people to suddenly make their apps support this device that does less because they want to sell it cheaper. Its clearly already a pain for people to make their apps be available on iPhone and iPad, largely due to hardware differences and this segmentation is effecting Apple as well, for example Siri.

This hardware battle is looking at one side of the picture and ignoring the other, software.

Shane Bryson

The real reason you’re an idiot: This article. Every single statement Apple has made on this issue has basically pointed to it NEVER happening. Let it go and stop fueling rumors that make people look dumb. This is the type of filth media that leads to dumb companies making cases for devices that don’t exist. You shouldn’t be allowed to call yourself a journalist.

Shane Bryson

“It’s like we said on the iPad, if you see a stylus, they blew it.” – Steve Jobs

“7-inch tablets are tweeners: too big to compete with a smartphone and too small to compete with the iPad,” – Steve Jobs

Bob Forsberg

Because 6″ is too small?

turbohand

I have a friend who got a Kindle Fire. Her husband works for MS so she was reluctant to get an iPad just to keep the peace. Evil me gave her my old iPad one. She now uses it over her Kindle Fire. Better OS, better tactile HW experience, “less jerky” are all terms she uses to describe the iPad 1. I can’t see myself using a stylus ever. Someone else said it best that this is a 90s concept and deserves to stay there.

Freshmixture

I’ll tell you why Apple WON’T sell a 7″ iPad. Cuz Steve said so. Don’t y’all remember when he jumped on the 2nd or 3rd quarter financial call last year?

Bickity Bam

Ridiculous. You posted this at 4am, obviously you were sleep deprived.

If they were going to release a 7″ iPad, developers would have been given a heads up a while ago. Sure, you *could* scale apps down by setting to resolution the same, but then you screw with the finger-to-pixels ratio and the only people able to use the apps would be those with small hands. No, if there was a 7″ one, it would require its own apps or at least special settings for those tablets, and that won’t happen any time soon.

YellowstoneRocks

Ipad, with a Digitizer ie wacom style pen input in addition to capacitive touch…Now that would open some possibilities especially for the artists.

jorjitop

Mike, Since you have become a total Google fanboy, you should write for Cult of Android. Apple has no need to follow Samsung’s lead. A 7 inch iPad would be too small to read easily and too big to carry in a pocket. The worst of both worlds. Now both back to promoting Google spyware.

SB

The real reason Shane’s an idiot: This post. Yes, a thoroughly thought out and intelligently stated analysis of the current market is definitely idiotic.

And, if you don’t know by now that sites like this often post SPECULATION as a regular part of their trade, then you fail at the internet.

n niji

all of you are skating to where the puck is. not where apple will move the puck to.

its all about input. how to get ideas into the device, to share with others digitally.

siri is the winner for ease. but speaking is not writing. creating well formed written sentences needs to be done through a handwriting process. it can’t be done through oral input.

the need for handwriting / jotting down info of all kinds will still be around for a long time. tablets do not excel in handwriting input yet. apple has studied handwriting input for over 20 years since the newton but hasn’t made a consumer level acceptable GUI for it yet.

apple may have won the bet over physical keyboards for input, but handwriting remains difficult. textured glass to simulate paper drag, greater pressure sensitivity, etc etc are all issues that remain to be figured out.

i hope apple is the one to do it and a tablet size between the iPhone and the iPad does have a business case for it.

Peter Moeser

And where did you find this information that it is selling well?Amazon do not release sales numbers. Neither do the makers of the other products that Apple “must keep up with or die”Show us numbers

Boris Terekidi

7″ tablets are there just to fill the gap between phones and 10″ tablets. There is no need for 7″ tablet. First of all it will create another resolution that app developers will have to adjust to (and condier that the screen is smaller than 10″, where the UI is optimized for 10″.

Also, Jobs himself said that they tried all formfactors and sizes, and 4:3 10″ ended up being the best one.

Shadowxpr

Not gonna happened, there is not 7″ format on the ibook author app. A new resolution will be horrible for developers the new iPad retina is enough. And ipad 10″ will hit the 250-300$ no need for 7″ to get to lower price IMHO…

techgeek01

700,000 sold in south korea.

And looking over 1 million worldwide. (so we could be looking close or over 2 million worldwide before it hits the states)

Jreed1235

The fire was only successful because it was marketed to the same people amazon attracts with their products… People looking for a cheap way into technology… That’s always been the case with them… Apple does not market themselves to people who are looking for the cheap answer, and they never have… They focus on building the best possible product… Not the best possible price for cheap tech… Apple could care less if they sold less ipads, as long as it was their vision for what they wanted to do… Look at Mac sales… They never made a sub $300 Mac just because Acer has crappy notebooks to try and compete with them… Apple makes quality products… They set a price based on their overhead and what they see as a fair cost for their quality product… It has never been their goal to appeal to every type of cheap person out there… Get real bro… Apple will never sacrifice the QUALITY of their user experience for QUANITITY of customers… They could care less about the latter… That’s just who Apple was designed to be…

stumac

Ima gonna “think different” here and opine a dual screen ipod touch/iphone. the Steve was pretty adimant that there would never be a 7 inch device and I will not go against that, at least not yet. If you think about it little bit, a 7 inch device is just a bit too large for a pocket, but not quite large enough too consider as a “regular” display. i.e. close too a laptop sized display. However, given Apple’s legendary device history, taking the Nintendo DS idea to a whole new level makes sense. Of course it will NOT be a nintendo like fold. Apple is way too inventive for that. probably a slide design that would allow use in single screen mode so it would just be a slightly thicker iphone. The electronics need only be on one part, so it would be thinner than stacking to ipods. The dual screens would allow for native 720hd video (some black bars top and bottom) or larger ebook pages for older eyes while retaining the “fits in your pocket” form factor. not sure what this will do to developers as there is already the original iphone resolution (480×320), retina display resolution (960×640), and ipad (1024×768) and now I’m saying, “Hey. Let’s do 960×1280!” Not to mention the rumored 2048×1536 ipad 3. But then, in my ideal world, an iPad would have native HD1080 and an iPxxx would be native Hd720. Cuz a HD720 handheld would be osoKool!

RageAndSin

That is exactly what I am waiting for. I want something i can read books on for my techie side, as well as having tablet functionality for my graphic artist side. I read somewhere though that the ipad actually does have pressure sensitivity but it is locked to developers when they design their apps, that’s why there is no pen that utilizes that feature to make an accurate graphics tablet.

Leland Jordon

7-inch iPad. Too big for your pocket, too small for a two-handed keyboard. I’ve already handled a Galaxy Note, and it’s just too darned big to be a phone (I can’t even use it with one hand), too small to be useful as a tablet.

Just because the screen size is available doesn’t mean that it’s a good idea for human usage.

kenci59

I can’t see Apple coming in with a smaller iPad. It goes against everything that Jobs said. However I do see some future for the Galaxy Note. I don’t know about anybody else but for using Siri I can’t string together two sentences even on a good day so I prefer to write.

Al

I don’t believe the screen has a real pressure sensitivity. But anyway it’s not the screen which needs to be pressure sensitive, but the pen. If the pen has a pressure sensitive nib, and this pressure information is sent via Bluetooth, then it is possible.

It is bizarre that it has not been made and sold already!

baby_Twitty

Omg Who wants a stylus?! U misplace them, u lose them. Then u need to find the right retailer to buy them again… Yuck!!!

And i agree having a 7 inch iPad would confuse both the buyers and app developers. Simplicity is one of Apple’s hallmark. We wouldn’t see a 3rd line of iOS devices, atleast for the near future.

Al

Just imagine this:

It’s June 2012, San Fransisco, USA, and Tim Cook is on-stage about to unveil Apple’s latest iPhone.

He pulls it out of his pocket to a flurry of camera flashes and gasps from the audience. Everyone leans forward to get a better look. He holds it up high. “This is our best iPhone ever,” he says, “here at Apple we’ve been working for months, and we’re so proud of what we’ve achieved.”

The pundits look on at the giant video screen to see a close up, and finally Cook explains what’s so special about this new improved device.

He brings it back down, seems to pull something out from it and holds that up, saying, “Look guys, it has a STYLUS!”

LOL ROFLMAO

Everyone sells their Apple stock the nextday.

RageAndSin

oh it does. Actually it is the screen that needs to be sensitive, the screen measures the amount of pressure based on how hard you press down with a pen. Those pens on wacom tablets do the same thing, and they don’t use bluetooth in the pen, they use rf and translate that to the receiver in the tablet, but the information the pen is sending is only for the buttons on the pen, not the nibs.

ddevito

I agree – but there is indeed a huge 3rd party market for iPad “pens”

ddevito

Steve Jobs also said he’d never ship a $500 “piece of junk”. Well, the iPad is certainly NOT a piece of junk, but it is $500.

Cost certainly does matter – the $500 iPad is a gateway into the Apple ecosystem. The iPad is insanely popular for two reasons:

1. It runs great2. It’s affordable

ddevito

Right just like the next iPhone will stay 3.5″

/sarcasm

ddevito

Just wait. Apple will unveil a 7″ iPad and all the iSheep will insist how smart Apple was for creating it.

Stop it – you all know if\when there’s one available everyone who reads this site will buy one.

blueleaves

I’d love a 7 inch retina display iPad…

STRIPBLUNTS

You’re obviously being paid by Samsung to say these ridiculous statements! Wow, a stylus & a “whole” to put it in?!? Are you serious? The reason why Samsung matters?? The fact you had to write that says it all, pretty much! This is NEVER going to happen! FACT! Stop wasting energy writing these nonsensical articles. You’re only contributing to the retardation of your “unintelligent” readers! SMH

lrd

Apple would never ship a tweener device. Get real.Remember this: Skate to where the puck’s going to be, not where it’s at now.An oversized clunky device, like the Dell Streak, will only win a handful of geeks. Who would live to regret it.

Even though Steve Jobs is quoted as saying that Apple would not make a 7″ tablet, things like this are usually said as a diversionary tactic, and then Apple goes ahead and produces what it says it wasn’t going to produce.

Remember Steve Jobs previously said: that they would not produce an iPod that would play movies; they had no interest in putting a camera in the iPod Touch; Apple had no interest in the cellphone business; etc.

The main reason that Steve Jobs gave why Apple would not produce a 7″ iPad was because he felt that iOS would not scale well on a 7″ display. This doesn’t hold much logic considering that iOS runs very nicely on 3.5″ displays of iPhones and iPod Touch.

Now that Apple is BIG into iBooks and eMags, it makes perfect sense that a 7″ eReader-sized iPad is on the horizon.

techgeek01

But a nice, slim, sleek, Galaxy Note could be a huge attraction.

It’s not the concept of the device that fails, it’s how it’s implemented. And truthfully? Samsung knows how to make mobile devices hell a lot better than Dell knows how.

beto2k7

NO.

Alfiejr

yes there is a market and a real need for a ‘tweener tablet from Apple. but it’s not going to be a shrunken 7″ iPad, instead it’s going to be an enlarged 5-6″ iPod touch. because of course shrinking iPad apps really doesn’t work at all, but blowing up iPhone apps does – as you could do 2x on the iPad from the start. also, the iPod touch was designed as a lower-price device from the start, and a bigger screen version could start at just $249.

will Apple do it? i think so. i think Apple will loosen up just a bit now in the post-Jobs era. coming this Fall …

Clark Wallace

Yeah, 3rd party for a reason.

winski

NOT.

Shane Bryson

Apple has also stated time and time again, their stance on 4 to 6 inch devices. They are too large to find in a pocket. Won’t happen.

Shane Bryson

The reason you’re an idiot: Well, there really isn’t a reason why, you just are. I know that sites like this regularly post speculation, but this isn’t speculation and this isn’t a well thought out analysis at all. He looks at the market of competitors and then decides that because the competitors are doing it, Apple will do it. Apple has NEVER done this. The iPad is the perfect example of this. There wasn’t a device even remotely close to this form factor before the iPad. How about HTML5 vs Flash? Apple supported HTML5 when the rest of the market was and for the most part still is, supporting Flash. Why? Because Apple realizes that Flash is dying, and if you have been paying attention, Android will be dropping Flash for HTML5 in the coming months. Apple DOES NOT FOLLOW MARKET TRENDS, which is what the article suggests. So no this isn’t a well thought out article. He is saying that Apple will follow the market when it really has no history of doing so. Apple won’t ship a 7in device or develop a stylus simply because Samsung and all the other “wannabes” are doing so. So please, think before YOU post.

techgeek01

So true. So true.

If they don’t have it, it’s utter crap, useless, trash, junk, etc…. but if THEY have it, it’s the best, everybody needs to have it, stuff is junk without it, and so on.

If Apple made a Galaxy Note like device, Apple fanbois and girls will be going on how amazing a 5 inch display is with a stylus. Now they are going on how it’s crap because it isn’t Apple made.

Same with 7 inch tablets. It’s utter trash. but once apple makes one, it’s the best thing out there.

I know some die-hard apple fanbois and girls who keep going on how 3.5 inches is THE perfect size out there. And anything with a larger display is crap. I already know, once Apple makes a phone with a 4 inch display (even 4.5 inches) they will pick one up the EXACT day it comes out.

They don’t want to admit they are wrong. That’s what it all is. Oh, they WANT to have devices like that. But since it’s not made by Apple they won’t touch it. (It’s that they don’t want want to admit that they or apple is wrong). I know people who will not even touch, use a non Apple device. “It’s not apple made”, is their excuse. IF, IF it had an apple logo (the exact same device, no modifications at all) they would have already picked it up. But since “It’s not apple made” they do not even touch it.

I know for a fact that one particular individual I know, would go out and buy non-Apple devices in a heartbeat. But, they would NEVER, EVER, do that. Why? They don’t want to admit they have been wrong all this time. That what it’s is. They don’t want to admit to their friends, peers, neighbors, family, co-workers (who they switched from non apple devices to apple devices, well not all of them) that they were wrong.

I could put x device onto a table that is (far superior and better) than what apple makes, around all the die-hard apple fanbois and girls I know and they would go on how it’s utter trash. And this x device is so far superior than the Apple device. The apple device is trash compared to this. And the reason why they go on how it’s utter trash is because they do not want to admit that x company made a better product than Apple. They do NOT want to admit that they are wrong. That what it all is.

I have not have any (hypothetical) thing above, but I have discussed some stuff with my die-hard apple fan(girls/bois) friends. I occasionally get some silly answers or responses. Basically the way they said it (or word it) they agreed with you that x device is better than y Apple device. They agree with you, but won’t admit to that.

I don’t know why they do it, but they do it.

They are simply jealous and envious that x company is making x device. Of course they want it badly, but they do not want to go out and buy it because they ONLY buy apple devices. And they especially do not want to admit apple was wrong after apple went on about how that thing is utter trash, “they blew it”, etc…

Edit: This may not be everyone, but sure seems like a extremely huge percentage of them are this way.

poppa1138

I can’t see Apple making a smaller tablet, the iPad feels just right,if you want something smaller use a iPod Touch and you can already get third party stylus’s

Luis Dominguez

I beg to differ though, Apple meaning Steve Jobs has said that in the past. Steve Jobs is not around anymore so who’s to say that Tim Cook agreed with Jobs on this. It is not going to be the same Apple anymore not that Steve is gone.

Nathan Glass

7″ iPad maybe as a control device for a TV. I doubt it will happen though.

EverythingEverytime

To techgeek01: Why are you on a site called “Cult Of Mac”? How did this happen? Did someone make you? Are you being forced to go here? Are you OK?

Alan Goates

I hate the logic of “some other company might have success at this or that category, so Apple must do it too”. Apple doesn’t follow. Apple leads.

OEB

I completely agree that Apple will produce a larger iPod touch. For 2 reasons mainly: 1) Steve Jobs stated that they wouldn’t do it (in Apple speak that means we r doing it as we speak). 2) I want one… and Apple has always made stuff I want.

How will they do it? They will keep the iPhone resolution while reducing pixel density to fit the larger screen. This way app iPhone apps will run perfectly on a larger screen.

MattS

Well there is your problem.. You hang out on Google+ and think that some how that constitutes a realistic picture of the whole world. You have a degree in political science and worked for Windows magazines for a long time, and now you are an expert on Apple & technology? You are like many other “tech journalists” – scammers talking out their arse.

techgeek01

It’s amusing reading the articles/blogs and the comments. ;)

techgeek01

The UI is totally borked. Well, If I recall it correctly ICS (Android) should be able to run on displays 3.5 to 10.1 inches and possibly even 13.3 inches?

So, there is a way to do it.

Stylus it like the keyboard dock for the Transformer. Don’t have to have it, but super awesome and useful if you use it.

It will “transform” the industry like the Transformer. We’re going to see more and more phones with Stylus (or tablets).

takeo

I own a Samsung Note and iPhone. I have to say I really like the Note – the best phone so far I ever owned.I believe Apple will probably get the iPhone 5 to have a 4″ display – that’s about it.

A 7 inch display on an Apple-Device? No. The only possibility: the new remote for the upcoming Apple TV. There it makes sense.

ferdinandcc

Dude, not everyone lives in America or other countries where it’s easy to afford an iPad. Where I live, the average income is $3,000 USD per year.

I don’t think Apple will come out with a 7″ iPad anytime soon, but to say that “ANYONE can make $500 without too much effort, as long as they taper off on the partying and the junk food and the designer shoes,” is just blind to the realities of the world outside your bubble.

Apple could dramatically expand into emerging economies like this if they offered some cheaper options. I’m not arguing that they should, or that it’d be good business strategy, but it’s definitely true. And I hope they do lower the price of the iPad 2 to $399 or lower upon the launch of the iPad 3.

ferdinandcc

(I do agree that Apple won’t make any compromises to ideal screen size, though, and that they don’t “pander” to those outside their target market. I take offense to the comments about those who can’t afford iPads being lazy, or spending too much money on other frivolous goods, though. And I’m writing this on an iPad 2, btw.)

ferdinandcc

Wrong, it is the pen that is pressure sensitive. The pen communicates pen-tip pressure, tilt-angle, side-switch status, pen-tip vs eraser orientation, a unique ID and more. The pen has a timing circuit capacitor inside whose value changes as you apply varying amounts of pressure, and this signal change gets communicated to the tablet, which sends it off to the computer. The tablet itself doesn’t serve nearly as much purpose as the pen itself, it just uses a grid array to communicate pen location, and delivers power to the pen through electromagnetic resonant coupling.

adrianoconnor

I don’t know exactly what you mean by tweener (I’m going to assume you’re not a Flash developer talking about the objects that let you accelerate in and out of animations), but I’d guess you mean a child aged just-under or round-about 13 years old. If so, that’s exactly where the puck’s going to be. Don’t you think Apple’s current success maybe has more than just a little to do with the tweeners who got attached to their iPods and iTunes music in the early 2000s?

I’m not arguing for or against a large phone/small tablet, just saying that if you capture teenage mindshare now and carry the momentum on, you’ll be in a good position in 10 or so years time when they have far more disposable income to spend.

techgeek01

far too large? Well, if you are wearing hipster jeans, than anything is too big to fit into a pocket. My friend easily can put his 4.7 inch Titan into his pocket with plenty of room to spare. If the phone had a 5 inch display, it would still fit in his pocket no problem.

And most women I know already carry their phones in their purses, so the argument “too big” for women is really out of the question, especially when a device 4 to 6 inches could fit easily into a purse while a 10 inch tablet will have trouble. (And maybe a 7 inch tablet as well)

Daniel M. Ramos

I really don’t dig the 7″ segment. It is too large to do anything with one hand, so it is too large for the smart phone segment. It doesn’t save you that much money over a 10″ tablet, while providing a lot less room for rich apps. Finally if somebody is getting the 7″ tablet to save money, then why wouldn’t they go for the budget “mee too” tablet? I think Apple would be making a mistake by returning to the days of the ’90s with a million different models that are reaction type products instead of calculated design products. Apple doesn’t need to “mee too” a “mee too” product.

KJ

“…the Galaxy Note will run a customized version of Gingerbread at first, with an update expected later.”

SURE it will…how many Samsung phones have shipped with an “expectated later” OS upgrade actually got OS upgrades? Two or three out of dozens? And those upgrades are coming along at a glacial pace, usually an entire cycle late.

If you’re not getting the OS you want on your Android device when you purchase it, you shouldn’t count on EVER getting it.

MacGoo

a PHABLET?! Color me horrified.

Pifman

This is the part where I point out the difference between “shipped” and “sold.” It’s been a common practice for companies to tout large numbers that they “shipped” to stores and does not reflect how many devices were actually “sold” to actual customers. As Peter pointed out, it’s pretty rare that these companies release actual sales numbers.

And wouldn’t that 700,000 shipped be 70% of the 1 Million+ shipped worldwide?

Actually, iPads already have restrictions in place. Including disabling of the cameras and downloading and/or deleting apps. But don’t forget that cameras can actually help in new forms of education, so it’s hard to argue that an education-based iPad should actually be without them completely.

Pifman

Many people questioned if we needed a device in-between the iPhone and a notebook. Apple knows there isn’t a place for another device in-between the iPhone and an iPad. Apple has gone against there words a little bit here and there in the past (but really, not much) but your two examples were clear as day from Steve. This article is wrong wrong wrong.

Hannah Fontana

Apple has enough cash to buy Samsung. What’s stopping them?

Hannah Fontana

What’s stopping you from installing CM7 or CM9?

Hannah Fontana

The 7″ form factor is perfect. My Nook Color fits in my pants pocket. An iPad won’t and my iPod Touch is too small for reading books or the daily newspaper. I take it with me everywhere I go. I’m planning to buy the iPad 3 the moment it hits the shelves, but I’ll continue to carry a 7″ tablet when I leave the home.

Hannah Fontana

Too big to fit in a pocket? My 7″ Nook Color fits nicely in my jeans and work pants pockets. They’re standard off the shelf pants. Nothing fancy about them.

Hannah Fontana

I think we’re going to see some massive changes at Apple, but they’re going to be over a very large period of time. Steve Jobs turned Apple into the world’s biggest company with more cash than many countries. Tim Cook isn’t going to risk losing that.

Hannah Fontana

Give it a keyboard dock and a ten hour battery and I’ll wait in line overnight to get one.

Hannah Fontana

What is it with you people? 7″ tablets ARE pocket sized. Try it.

Hannah Fontana

Why aren’t there any pressure sensitive pens on the market for the iPad?

Hannah Fontana

Nobody wants to use a stylus to navigate the UI, but they are GREAT for editing documents. Who wants to finger paint on an iPad when we can have a WACAM stylus?

ferdinandcc

I have no clue. I’d like to see one. My guess would be lack of a standard API. The iPad lacks the electromagnetic resonant coupling required to power a pen, so it’d need a battery plus some way to speak to the iPad. Would Apple’s support for Bluetooth allow it? I know they don’t support all the functions of Bluetooth, without jail breaking.

Pressure-sensitive pen support is my most desired feature for iOS 6.

Shane Bryson

And by fits in your pants pocket, you mean you look like an idiot walking around with that thing sticking you pants out like a raging boner. Dummy.

Shane Bryson

If I saw you walking down the street with that thing in your pocket, I would laugh SOOOOO hard.

Shane Bryson

I wear normal Levi’s 505 jeans. A 4.5 in device is to stinking bulky for a pocket. Most people that carry those, think its ok, but you have a huge rectangular area sticking off your leg and it just looks bad and is terribly hard to remove from a pocket when sitting or in certain positions. A phone the size of the iPhone is a much better form factor and just makes soooo much more sense.

Sid McDonald

Almost all other phone styluses are just capacitive and therefore no more accurate than your finger. The Galaxy Note’s active pen uses Wacom’s EMR patented technology. EMR which stands for Electo-Magnetic Resonance, which requires no internal power to generate a signal on the pen-side that enables the pen coordinates on or above the screen to be detected (the display provides the power rather than the pen). The Note’s screen surface incorporates a sensor board that detects the pen’s movement. Weak energy is induced in the pen’s resonant circuit by a magnetic field generated by the sensor board surface. The pen’s resonant circuit then makes use of this energy to return a magnetic signal to the sensor board surface. The digitizer board under the screen detects information on the pen’s coordinate position and angle, as well as on its general operating condition including speed and writing pressure, etc.

With EMR Technology, the sensor unit is installed behind the display screen. Because the sensor does not cover the front of the display, the quality and brightness of the displayed image are not compromised.

Wacom’s sensors are high precision and high resolution, which together make it possible to detect even small hand-written letters. The sensor traces the movement of the human hand and reproduces such “human” elements as the feel, force and ambivalence of the pen tip.

The dual capacitive multi-touch and EMR active pen technology is called Wacom Feel It and was developed and honed over 2 years on major ( HP, …) Tablet PCs. The Galaxy Note is the first use in a smart phone.

petermillard

“Samsung is also targeting women. In addition to white and black versions, the Galaxy Note will also come in pink…”

They just lost any chance of selling it to any woman I ever met. As to a smaller iPad, I’d love a Kindle-sized iPad with a 4:3 screen just to read on – don’t think it’ll happen though.

Mike Rathjen

Wow, do you talk that way to people in real life?

Mike Rathjen

Anyone remember PDAs? They were devices that were around 4.5″ and used a stylus. I had two or three over the years.

I for one am really glad that we reduced the size and got touchscreens. I don’t want to go back to that format and use a stylus again.

I feel like the Samsung commercial is trying to get us excited about a technology that failed years ago. Whoooo, stylus! Huge devices!

But hey, there are billions of people on the planet, all with different tastes. I’m sure many would like something exactly like it. It’s just not for me.

Mike Elgan

And yet you can’t find anything in my post you disagree with? If so, what is it?

Chris Banzet

What nobody is really saying though is how ALL the other phone companies are just one new phone model away from swooping the market. Let’s be real, anytime something is in its infancy, it can easily shift like a school of fish in the water! I personally believe that whatever company finds a way to make the PHONE the “CPU” with docking stations at home, in your car and at work, will take this market by storm! When it really gets down to it, we all want ONE device that works with us, WHEREVER we go, and we want to take our data with us. Sure we have the CLOUD for storing our bigger docs, but lets be honest, we want things handy and at our fingertips.

I think the company that makes this all in one device, that can then be docked in stations at our house and work and maybe even our car will win the day! Once the dust from all the marketing hype settles, and the average human realizes our eyes can’t tell the difference in screen quality past 1100 x 750 anyway, the rest will come down to memory space, performance and ease of cross usage in work and play!

I for one will hold onto my current HTC EVO 4G until the marketplace ha had a chance to settle in and learn these definitive marketing goals. I’m tired of investing $400 every 6 months when they change a shape or color or give .2″ more space on a screen.

As for the apps, they’re all find and dandy, but I will make a wager that NONE of the current apps today will work on tomorrow’s cross referenced, WINDOWS, MAC friendly platforms! Android has found it’s nitch, yes, but BUSINESS as well as PLAY has defined this marketplace and I think the true winner at the end of this boom cycle will be the player that finds a way to make our mobile devices completely interface with our existing worlds. Both work and play. So look for both Apple and Android to move to a more windows friendly OS software. :)